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Monday, August 8, 2011

Meet the Groomsmen :)

As promised here is an introduction to the handsome gents in the wedding!

Best Man: Evan Wilkinson.
As many of you can defer from his last name, Evan is the brother of the groom -- younger brother and only brother to be exact. Even though the two of them are seven years apart, they are thicker than thieves. No one makes Brandon laugh the way Evan does. There are times that Brandon can just look at Evan and be laughing so hard that he cries. There was never any doubt that Evan was going to be the best man, there isn't anyone else Brandon would rather have stand by his side.

Groomsman: Gregory Sye
Gregory had the honor, or misfortune depending upon how you look at it, of being the roommate to the groom during their sophomore and junior years at Lycoming. It was during Brandon and Sye's sophomore year that Sye and I became friends. That's right -- I was friends with Sye before I even knew the groom. I always find it funny that I had a crush on Brandon but had never seen him with long hair and one night Sye and I stopped by their room to get something and I saw a picture of Brandon with long hair and did not recognize him at all. I could not for the life of me figure out who Sye's roommate was -- the following Spring I knew all too well who Sye's roommate was. After graduation, the three of us have remained quite close, so asking Greg to be in the wedding was a no brainer.

Sye & his beautiful girlfriend, Terra

Groomsman: TJ Milne
TJ came into our lives in December of 2009 and for that, I am very thankful. After an ugly breakup with her scummy ex-fiance (and believe me, that is all very sugar coated), Michelle (sister of the bride/bridesmaid -- come on people, keep up with me) met TJ and they fell in love and then a year later they bought the house we all live in and come 4/14/12 they are going to live happily ever after. Lucky, or unlucky for Michelle and I -- we still aren't really sure, Brandon and TJ quickly formed a bromance. I think it was because they were so happy to have one another to commiserate with when Michelle and I would get together. Now the four of us are a happy little group and we do everything together. In fact, we have a fun outing planned for the weekend before the wedding to check out some local wineries :) Nothing like good friends and good wine to ease those wedding nerves!

Groomsman: Patrick "Fat Pat" Taylor
What can I say about Patrick Taylor that hasn't already been said a thousand times before. Brandon and Patrick met at Lyco -- in fact, Patrick is one of the people who knew that Brandon and I were in a relationship before we knew it. I have been very lucky when it comes to Fat Pat. For the most part, he doesn't like girlfriends, but I must be doing something right because we get along just fine. In fact, on the weekends that I work, I look forward to my early morning "why aren't you sleeping" text conversations with him. He has been very helpful in the wedding planning -- especially where music has been concerned -- and he has been enthusiastic about things we want to do... even if he hasn't been fit for his tux yet. We are pleased to announce that Patrick has been offered and has accepted a position at Lycoming College as the running back coach for the football team. Go Lyco!

Groomsman: Jarrod Chipp
Chipp and Brandon lived together their senior year at Lycoming. Chipp is actually one of the people who I hold responsible for Brandon being part of my life. I loved the mornings when I was visiting Brandon at school that Brandon had basketball practice, Chipp and I would lay in our respective beds, with our feet on the wall, and talk about the night before. He is always there with an encouraging word, a comforting hug and a smile, and soon all of those things will come with a wonderful crack of the back since our dear friend will soon be Dr. Chipp.
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the three amigos - rolling rock 2010

﻿﻿﻿ Groomsman: Kyle Rasavage
As you all know, Kyle is one of the groom's cousins, but the two grew up practically as brothers which is why Kyle was an easy pick as a groomsman. The two don't have to see each other often to remain close, in fact no matter how much time spans between visits, they always seem to pick up exactly where they left off. As many of you know, in February Kyle was diagnosed with Leukemia. Kyle has taken this challenge on with his head held high and with a very strong conviction that we will get through this and we will come out better on the other side. Unfortunately, due to the extensive care that Kyle needs to get through this, and the unpredictability that goes with the timing and length of his treatment protocols, we are not sure that he will be with us in person the day of the wedding. The doctors say that while he is making progress in leaps and bounds and handling the medications and protocols much better than they anticipated, large crowds may still be a no-no for him because of germs and the fact that his immune system is on the mend. That being said, we have been asked if we plan to replace Kyle in the groomsman line up. The answer is a big fat no. Brandon picked Kyle for a reason. If we wanted someone else in his spot, we would have picked that person in the first place.

Kyle, Aunt Donna & Derek

Ring Bearer/Junior Groomsmen: Cameron McKenney
Cameron is a cousin of the bride -- and one of my favorite cousins at that. He is a really great kid -- smart, funny, athletic and extremely helpful. He is a really great big brother to his (not-so) new baby sister Olivia. When thinking about the wedding, I knew that there was no one who would make a better ring bearer than Cameron :)

ok, so this one is a little old -- but how can you not love him?!

a more recent one that I love :) halloween 2010

So that's the bridal party -- if you need assistance at the wedding, one of them may be able to help you... well, at the very least, you will be able to count on the bridesmaids :)